Michael Johnson, one of the hottest free agents on the open market, has reportedly come to terms on a new five-yeardeal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Josina Anderson of ESPN first reported the news Tuesday:

The 27-year-old was selected in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and played his entire career with the franchise.

Johnson flashed strong promise right off the bat, but struggled to contribute on a consistent basis. The Georgia Tech product finally broke out in his fourth season, when he racked up 52 combined tackles, 11.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception.

That performance, coupled with his tremendous upside, earned Johnson a much-deserved franchise tag from the Bengals in the offseason, making him the highest-paid member of the team with an $11.1 million salary.

Mike Zimmer, defensive coordinator of the Bengals at the time, had nothing but praise for the lineman, per Mike Garafolo and Joe Reedy of USA Today: "He's hard-working and a great team player. He's an outstanding run defender in addition to his pass rush production."

However, Johnson by and large failed to live up to expectations in 2013. His numbers dipped significantly, as he recorded just 3.5 sacks over 15 games.

Michael Johnson Career Stats

Year

GP

Sacks

Tackles

Stuffs

2009

16

3.0

17

0

2010

16

2.5

35

2

2011

16

6.0

42

1

2012

16

11.5

52

2

2013

15

3.5

56

3

ESPN

That drop in sacks is of major concern, especially considering the athletic freak played along a star-studded line that featured Geno Atkins (for nine games) and Carlos Dunlap drawing much of the attention. Johnson dealt with plenty of one-on-one situations and was not able to capitalize.

It was clear early on in the free-agency process that he would not be heading back to Cincy, per Ben Goessling of ESPN:

Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus attempted to warn the Buccaneersabout the dangers of signing a tantalizing talent like Johnson, noting that his physical ability has yet to consistently match up to what he does on the field:

The franchise was fortunate to lock up Johnson, however, as he had as many as six other suitors, according to Goessling:

It remains to be seen which Johnson will show up to Tampa Bay: the dominant pass-rusher that uses his immense athleticism and powerful 6’7”, 270-pound frame to bully blockers and blitz past them off the edge, or the maddeningly inconsistent player with so much promise that never quite reached his potential with the Bengals outside of one above-average season.

Regardless, Johnson represents a chance for Tampa Bayto upgrade its ability to rush the passer and stop the run. Johnson can play in both the 3-4 and 4-3 schemes, largely thanks to his massive size, powerful strength and unexpected speed.

A change of location could do Johnson some good, as he now has a chance to get a fresh start and get off on the right foot from Day 1. There is no guarantee that he’ll put up numbers equal to or better than he did in 2012, but any time a team has a chance to put a player with Johnson’s raw physical talent on the field, it has to take it.

Don’t blame the Buccaneersfor attempting to swing for the fences with this signing, as they may just hit a home run.